Chapter 1
How Do Hydraulic Lifts Work?
Chapter 2
The History of Hydraulic Lifts
Chapter 3
The Advantages of Hydraulic Lifts
Chapter 4
The Disadvantages of Hydraulic Lifts
Chapter 5
Hydraulic Scissor Lifts
Chapter 6
Automotive Scissor Lifts
Chapter 7
Hydraulic Pallet Lifts
Chapter 8
Hydraulic Wheelchair Lifts
Chapter 9
Hydraulic Bed Lifts
CHAPTER 1:
How Do Hydraulic Lifts Work?
Hydraulic lifts are used in a massive array of automotive, shipping and waste removal capacities. In a nutshell, their primary use is to basically raise and lower their cargo, which can be anything from people to machinery that would have often been impossible without their presence.
They are also widely used in a medical capacity for moving patients, i.e., to help disabled patients in and out of their bed, bath, showers, etc.
Where you are highly likely to have seen a hydraulic lift in use in day to day life, is in the automotive repair industry.
Many parents will have pointed out the hydraulic car lifts to their children when they are getting their cars repaired, and the mechanic is now happily underneath a weighty vehicle!
The seemingly effortless power in the hydraulic lifts comes from hydraulic pressure usually via air compressors.
The lifting mechanisms in hydraulic lifts work using electrically powered pumps, which push pressurized hydraulic oil into a jack lifting system.
Pistons within a cylinder positioned at the lift base will then power the lift platform up and down.
In terms of the hydraulic lifts’ physics, they operate using the same fundamental concept as all other hydraulic systems. When a liquid has force applied to it in one place, it transmits pressure through the system to apply its effects at another location.
In the case of car lifts, for example, they use hydraulic fluid, which regardless of how much pressure is applied to it cannot be compressed.
The pressurized fluid then flows through the hydraulic system, moving into a cylinder which raises the car from the ground.
Some hydraulic lifts use an electric motor driven pump to pressurize the fluid instead of air compressors.
The structure and mechanism of the lift will dictate how much you can load it and how you can use it so you will need to pay particular attention to the load capacity specified on each model before you buy it.
If you are new to the world of hydraulic lifts, whether you are just using them or looking to buy one, it may feel a little daunting that you will be using it for such heavy tasks.
You needn’t worry too much though, as modern hydraulic lifts have so many safety mechanisms in place it will take some of the guesswork out of using it.
Insufficient pressure will not lift the load for instance, as the power will simply not be there.
This is sometimes due to insufficient time being allowed for the air compressor to pressurize the hydraulic fluid, or the load was possibly too heavy, but the lift instructions will have informed you of best practice to take most of the guesswork out of it for you.
That definitely doesn’t negate the need to learn how to use them safely though!
CHAPTER 2:
The History of Hydraulic Lifts
When you look at the presence of lifts nowadays, it’s hard to imagine a life without them, isn’t it?
If you are in the automotive or industrial sector, you’ll already be pretty familiar with them, but for the rest of us, they are still all around us.
- Many multi-story buildings will take you between floors with lifts using hydraulics
- Watching how the garbage trucks tip the trash into the truck will show you hydraulic action in its full glory
- Many of your deliveries may be on a truck with a hydraulic tailgate lift on the back, used to effortlessly raise and lower the heavier loads
- The power steering in your car or truck will use hydraulics
- Your garage door may open using a hydraulic door lift
- Office chairs or gas powered bar stools use hydraulics to alter their height
- If you go to any music gigs or an amusement park, you will see how hydraulics will be at the core of all of the mechanisms getting our heart rates pumping as well as the rides!
- Watching how the garbage trucks tip the trash into the truck will show you hydraulic action in its full glory
- Many of your deliveries may be on a truck with a hydraulic tailgate lift on the back, used to effortlessly raise and lower the heavier loads
- The power steering in your car or truck will use hydraulics,
Your garage door may open using a hydraulic door lift - Office chairs or gas powered bar stools use hydraulics to alter their height
- If you go to any music gigs or an amusement park, you will see how hydraulics will be at the core of all of the mechanisms getting our heart rates pumping as well as the rides!
So going back to hydraulic lifts in particular, where did it all start?
You may be surprised to know that the first lifts date back several hundred years before Christ with elevators known as hoists. These were often powered with winches and pulleys using human or animal energy, or sometimes even water.
While this obviously seems far more primitive than what we are accustomed to seeing now, it is always amazing to see how human ingenuity played a key role even back then.
The lifts were more used to seeing started to evolve in the 1800s, initially being powered using steam, before progressing to hydraulics.
Here’s an interesting little snippet for you…
You’ll likely be familiar with Otis elevators?
In 1852, the first safety elevator was invented by Elisha Graves Otis. He went on to create his own safety elevator shop with his first lift being sold in September 1853.
His company went on to dominate the entire elevator industry, with Otis Elevator Factory now being the largest manufacturer of vertical transport systems in the world.
Motor technology then came along and really got things moving – see what we did there?!
With the introduction of electricity, it soon became the chosen source of power and the safety and speed of elevators at the time were hugely enhanced.
Here’s another name you’ll recognize…
The chap responsible for building the first electric elevator in 1880 was the German inventor Wener Von Siemens.
It’s almost crazy to think how long these businesses have lasted!
Where elevators became safer was 1887 when an electric elevator with automatic doors which closed off the elevator shaft was patented.
The first commercially successful electric elevator was installed in 1889, and the rest is history as they say!
With the rate that technology now advances, we could quickly fill pages and pages with the progress made with hydraulic lifts and their mechanisms, but at least you have an idea of where it all started now.
If ever you’re thinking of inventing anything, it’s an inspiring reminder of how something revolutionary can evolve from the most primitive of designs!
CHAPTER 3:
The Advantages of Hydraulic Lifts
So we’re now in the know of where hydraulic lifts came from, but let’s look at where they benefit us most.
While there are other types of lift available, the versatility of the hydraulic lift is definitely making it one of the most popular types of elevators used within modern-day engineering.
Let’s take a look at the general advantages of hydraulic lifts…
- Cost – they are often much cheaper to install than other types of elevator.
- Strength – hydraulic lifts are excellent with heavy loads, as the hydraulic power generates a far greater lifting strength.
- Space – They take up less space needing almost 10% less area for the lift shaft.
- Remotely Controlled – you have the option of controlling the lift via a remote machine room.
- No Overhead Machine Room needed – because the load of the elevator can be distributed to load-bearing walls., there’s no need for an overhead machine room or overhead structural requirements.
When looking at all the benefits of installing a hydraulic lift, you can see how all of these advantages could make installing a hydraulic lift a logistical option where other types couldn’t have been accommodated.
It’s easy to see why they’re so popular!
CHAPTER 4:
The Disadvantages of Hydraulic Lifts
As with most things in life, there is rarely anything which doesn’t have its own drawbacks, so let’s look into those now too…
- Slow – they operate at relatively slow speeds rarely moving faster than 150 feet per minute
- Bumpy Ride – a hydraulic elevator ride quality is seldom as smooth as with other lift systems
- Noise – Hydraulic lifts are often noisier than other elevator systems
- Oil Leaks – the hydraulic oil can escape from the pumping system and leak into the ground at the elevator base which if left unchecked can lead to the pollution of groundwater
- Overheating oil – the hydraulic oil in the piston system can overheat very quickly, so an efficient machine-room control is even more important
Smell – If the hydraulic oil becomes too warm from overuse it can emit a very unpleasant odor.
Yes, there are disadvantages to the hydraulic lifts, but if you look at the pros vs. cons, you can see how the benefits hugely outweigh its weak spots.
Even when taking the disadvantages of hydraulic lifts into consideration, they are still one of the most popular choices and are being successfully used on a massive scale across many commercial and industrial buildings today.
CHAPTER 5:
Hydraulic Scissor Lifts
Let’s take a look now at some of the types of lifts, starting with the good old scissor lifts.
These are possibly some of the most commonly used types of hydraulic lift with a unique structure to easily tell them apart from the other types of hydraulic lift.
Essentially, they are a device which employs a scissors mechanism to raise or lower people or goods and are often known as a lift table for obvious reasons as most of the scissor lifts have a simple platform or ‘table’ on which your load can sit. They help to raise the large or heavy loads for relatively small distances.
They are also known as hydraulic platform lifts, hydraulic table lifts, and hydraulic floor lifts.
They have crisscrossing metal supports which extend as the platform which they are supporting is raised. As they are usually mobile, they are also one of the most favored portable hydraulic lifts too with their portability helping to provide access to areas which are very high or tricky to reach in order to perform your necessary tasks.
The platform mechanism is powered via gas or electricity and is mounted on folding arms which are used to reach the elevated work areas or for raising or lowering unit loads.
Scissor lifts are used extensively in the materials handling industry, particularly to reach the tops of tall storage racks.
They vary in size, but if small hydraulic lifts are what you are looking for, then scissor lifts are likely to be your solution. Some of these lifts are almost mini hydraulic lifts at only four feet wide, so are widely used to help with manoeuvering and navigation between the tight isles which are commonplace inside warehouses.
Scissor lift tables are remarkably versatile and can be easily adapted for a variety of different tasks, commonly being used to handle pallets, load vehicles, and position people for particular, specialized or awkward jobs.
A considerable benefit of scissors lifts is that they allow workers to work safely in high areas above ground level, without the usual concerns which they would have if they were using a ladder.
It also helps to keep workers safe as one of the first lessons in scissor lift safety is that operators and users of scissor lifts are forbidden to move the machine while the platform is raised.
Kinda obvious isn’t it but there’s always one rodeo wannabe in the gang isn’t there!
CHAPTER 6:
Automotive Scissor Lifts
After reading chapter 5, it’s not going to be challenging to work out what these lifts are and what they are used for, is it?
Automotive scissor lifts are precisely what they say they are, with those scissor-like mechanisms behind the runways being used to raise the platform on which the vehicle stands.
If you have ever watched a car race, you have likely seen hydraulic car lifts in action. They are so simple to use while being amazingly capable – you just slide the lift underneath your vehicle, and the machine will do all the lifting work for you.
If you have your own professional garage or like to maintain your own vehicle, hydraulic scissor lifts are absolutely perfect for you.
Depending on your needs, hydraulic auto lifts vary greatly with their capacities and heights, so do a little research first on your long term needs as well as your immediate ones.
They are widely used within both home setups and professional automotive repair shops as they are so capable of lifting very heavy vehicles.
They are built as both wheel and frame engaging models and are so prevalent in home use as the scissor lift when not in use can be lowered and is much more pleasing to the eye than the standard alternative, the four-post lift.
It shrinks itself to the ground really neatly so despite giving you the functionality of lifting your heavy vehicles from heights as low as three feet off the ground to anything beyond that, it’s not remotely cumbersome.
CHAPTER 7:
Hydraulic Pallet Lifts
Everyone will recognize these little gems! Pallet lifts are the indispensable little sidekicks of any warehouse or storehouse worker.
Pallet lifts are also known as pallet jacks, pallet trucks, pallet pump, pump trucks or jiggers. They’re even called dogs sometimes, and you don’t need to wonder why, as in terms of pallet manoeuvering, they really are man’s best friend!
They’re a ridiculously simple yet handy tool used to lift and move pallets.
Pallet lifts are in essence, the most basic type of forklift and are used to move pallets, crates, containers, etc. within a warehouse or storage area.
In the same way that we’re used to seeing the forks at the front of a forklift truck, you’ll find this on the pallet lift too with the two forks making up the main structure of the truck.
The hydraulic jack lift then uses a tiller-like lever to steer it which doubles up as a pump handle to raise the jack. A small lever on the tiller also releases the hydraulic fluid to allow the forks to lower.
The front wheels inside the end of the two forks are mounted on levers which are attached to the jack cylinder. When the hydraulic jack at the ’tiller’ end is raised, this forces the wheels down, while lifting the forks vertically above the front wheels.
This raises the load upwards until it is clear of the floor underneath. Due to the weights involved, the pallet is usually only lifted enough to clear the floor for the required travel.
Pallet jacks usually have steering wheels at the front, with each fork having either a single wheel or two bogie wheels.
As well as warehouse use, pallet lifts are frequently used for organizing pallets inside a trailer, particularly when there is no forklift truck available.
Pallet lifts are often powered to allow easier lifting and moving of the heavier or stacked pallets.
These are usually known as walkies, power jacks, electric pallet trucks or single or double pallet jacks due to being motorized.
Some of them also contain a platform for the user to stand on while moving the pallets. Powered pallet lifts are moved using a throttle on the handle to move forward or to reverse with and are steered through swinging the handle in the intended direction.
You can see how these handy little dogs would never leave your side in a warehouse, can’t you!
CHAPTER 8:
Hydraulic Wheelchair Lifts
We’ve covered the more industrial uses of hydraulic lifts but let’s now take a look at how they can help on a human level too.
When people lose any of their mobility, it can be a severe blow to their confidence. Mainly because a lot of independence is deemed to be lost at the same time.
An area where hydraulics can play a really positive part in our day-to-day lives is using hydraulic lifts for patients or assistive technology for disabled people.
A hydraulic wheelchair lift, for instance, could be the difference between a wheelchair-bound person getting out and about or staying stuck inside with nothing to look forward to.
Introducing wheelchairs into your life is one thing, but looking at the logistics of you or your carer moving them around is another ball game altogether!
The wheelchair lifts are also known as platform lifts, or vertical platform lifts, so their mechanisms are the same as the scissor lifts which we covered in chapter 5.
They are fully powered lifts installed with the simple intention of raising a wheelchair and its user to help them traverse a step or similar vertical barrier.
They are also installed in homes sometimes as an alternative to a stair lift which can only transport a passenger and not their wheelchair or mobility scooter.
The installation of hydraulic chair lifts can totally overhaul the accessibility of homes or businesses.
They are often installed in both private and public vehicles too to comply with accessibility requirements laid out within disability acts.
If you serve the public in any way and have multi-levels within your premises, you’ll need to look at how this impacts your less able customers.
In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) dictated that any mass transit vehicles coming into service after July 1, 1993, must be accessible to wheelchair users.
After it’s introduction, this requirement was most often solved with the inclusion of a wheelchair lift. It’s interesting to note that in 1993, there were 52% of the 29,033 transit buses in the U.S. equipped with wheelchair lifts but that by 2001, this figure had grown to 58,785 buses.
Another example of the ‘power’ of ingenuity…
Get it??
CHAPTER 9:
Hydraulic Bed Lifts
Another area where hydraulics are making a difference is the bedroom.
No, we don’t mean like that – get your mind back out the gutter guys!
It’s the hydraulic bed we’re talking about! If you have an apartment for instance or space is at a premium, hydraulic beds are a godsend. Or maybe you’ve just accumulated too much ‘stuff’ and need an extra place to hide it in…
At first glance, the hydraulic bed looks like any regular bed, but when you look a little more closely, you will see that it either has a wooden platform or a slatted system between the frame of the bed and the mattress.
This entire platform including the mattress on top can be lifted like a crocodile’s jaw opening to almost create a vast ‘mouth’ which can devour your worldly belongings.
It works by having a hydraulic piston on each side of the bed which together can support the raised platform, allowing you access to the huge box which the base is constructed from – lots of juicy space to hide treasures in.
You do need to exercise caution here though folks – this is one bed that you really don’t want to hide underneath!
Conclusion
So guys, hopefully, we have answered some of the questions you may have had on the differences between the types of hydraulic lifts.
You now have a little insight too on the history of where the lifts started out, so we’ll wager that you’ll quietly smile the next time you see an Otis or Siemens lift knowing its roots.
As always, we’d love to hear if this helped or if there’s anything we can cover to help you out. Make sure you drop a comment below, and we’ll check out your thoughts when we’re not mining for more info…
